I bought one of my grail watches. Let’s talk about it.

Over the years, I’ve been fortunate enough to own some amazing watches from a wide variety of manufacturers. Many years ago, though, I made the decision that I wasn’t going to spend more than $1,500 on a watch again. That decision came after I shattered the crystal on an Omega Aqua Terra. The broken crystal found its way into the movement and damaged it, turning what should have been a simple repair into something much more expensive.

For roughly ten years, I stuck to that rule.

Since my stroke last October, however, I’ve found myself rethinking that mindset. Sure, something bad happened once, and could it happen again? Absolutely. But why should one bad experience stop me from owning something I truly want and will probably enjoy for years?

After months of going back and forth, I finally decided I was comfortable moving beyond the price limit I had imposed on myself. Rather than rushing into a purchase, I took my time and carefully evaluated what I wanted in a watch.

I narrowed my list down to a handful of serious contenders: the Tudor Black Bay, Tudor Pelagos, Omega Seamaster, Grand Seiko Snowflake, and a few others. From there, I started looking at the specifications that actually mattered to me. I wanted something around 39mm, with 200 meters of water resistance, less than 12mm thick, and above all else, a true tool watch.

I also spent a lot of time thinking about the watches that have always appealed to me. My favorite vintage watch of all time has always been the Vietnam War-era Tudor Submariner. That led me to take an honest look at what my life actually looks like today and how I really use my watches instead of how I imagine using them.

Eventually, the list narrowed itself down to two watches: the Tudor Pelagos 39 and the Tudor Black Bay 58. The Omega and Grand Seiko are incredible watches, but each one fell out of contention for one reason or another.

Once I reached that point, I spent a long time tracking down examples of both watches so I could try them on in person. I finally found a dealer with each model and stopped in to see them.

Both watches felt fantastic on my wrist. Honestly, either one would have been an excellent choice.

From there, I started comparing prices, building comparison charts, and looking at every little detail. Both watches checked every box I had and would have handled anything I’d realistically ask of them without hesitation.

In the end, though, the deciding factor wasn’t the specifications.

It was the look.

Think about it: what part of a watch do you actually interact with the most? The dial and the bezel.

I spent hours going back and forth over those details because I knew that if I was going to spend this kind of money, I wanted to be completely certain. I wanted to be able to confidently answer my wife when she inevitably asked, “Are you sure this is the one?”

More importantly, I wanted a watch that I could honestly see myself wearing for decades—a watch I could be the steward of for the rest of my life.

By May of 2026, my mind was finally made up. I was going to buy a Tudor Black Bay 58.

Just as everything was starting to come together, life had other plans.

I began having severe chest pains that seemed to come out of nowhere. They were debilitating and completely drained my energy. After three trips to the emergency room, a terrible stress test, and one doctor refusing to perform an emergency cardiac catheterization because of my “age” and “high blood pressure,” I was told there was no way I had a blockage. According to him, the chest pain was simply a result of the elevated blood pressure.

Thirteen days after the emergency catheterization was originally ordered, I suffered a heart attack.

My wife got me to our local emergency room as quickly as she could. From there, I was Life Flighted to one of the best cardiac hospitals in the state. During an emergency catheterization, the doctors discovered a 100% blockage in my left main coronary artery. They immediately placed a stent, and almost instantly my blood pressure returned to normal.

I spent several days in the Cardiac ICU before finally being discharged. Since then, I’ve been focused on healing. At the time of writing this, I’ve been off work for several weeks and am working through a cardiac rehabilitation program. Every day I feel a little better, although I still don’t have all of my strength back and I tire much more easily than I used to.

Going through something like that has a way of putting life into perspective.

While I was in the ICU, my wife and I had a conversation that completely changed how I looked at the watch I had been planning to buy. We decided that if I walked out of that hospital room, I was finally going to buy what had become my grail watch—or, as we jokingly call it, my “big boy” watch.

Once I got home, though, buying a watch wasn’t exactly my first priority. For the first several days I barely wanted to leave the house. What little energy I had went toward scheduling follow-up appointments, dealing with short-term disability paperwork, working with my employer (who has been incredible through this entire process), and making what felt like an endless number of phone calls.

Throughout all of that, my wife continued encouraging me to get out of the house for a while. She knew I had been cooped up long enough and suggested we stop by a local authorized dealer that also carried pre-owned watches.

About a week after getting home, I woke up feeling decent for the first time in days. I decided it was finally time.

When I walked in, I asked the sales representative—someone I’d worked with before—if they had any Black Bays in stock. He smiled and led me over to the pre-owned case, where they had exactly two.

One was the classic black-on-black model.

The other was the blue-on-blue version.

I asked all the usual questions: what came with each watch, their service history, and anything else I wanted to know. He explained that both had been serviced before being offered for sale and answered everything I asked.

The prices were only a couple hundred dollars apart.

After thinking about it for a few minutes, I realized something. I’d owned plenty of black-on-black dive watches over the years. This felt like the perfect opportunity to try something different.

I pointed to the blue one.

That was the one.

The paperwork was completed, payment was made, the bracelet was sized, and a few minutes later it was on my wrist as I walked out of the store.

Driving home, I found myself glancing down at my wrist every few minutes. Objectively, there isn’t anything life-changingly different about this watch compared to my Seiko SPB187. They’re both outstanding dive watches. One is a little thinner, one has different finishing, and both are more than capable of handling anything I’ll realistically throw at them.

So why did this one feel different?

It wasn’t because the dial said Tudor.

It wasn’t because it cost more.

It was because of everything that happened leading up to it.

Over the last year I’ve fought through more than I ever expected. Between my stroke, my heart attack, and now recovering from both, this watch became a reminder of that fight. Every time I look at it, I’m reminded that I’m still here.

It also represents something else that’s just as important: my wife.

She supported this purchase from the beginning because she knew how much thought I had put into it. She watched me spend months researching, comparing, and second-guessing myself. More importantly, she watched everything I went through medically over the past year. She saw every setback, every frustration, and every small victory along the way.

That’s what makes this watch special to me.

The name on the dial is Tudor, and that’s certainly part of the appeal, but the story behind how it ended up on my wrist is what gives it its real value.

Ironically, I don’t find myself wanting to baby this watch. If anything, I want to wear it even more. It’s a tool watch, and I plan on treating it like one. What I do find difficult is choosing another watch from my collection because I simply enjoy wearing this one that much.

So where does that leave me now?

Recovery has honestly been one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. I’m the type of person who always needs to be doing something, so being told to slow down and let my body heal hasn’t been easy. I’m following my doctors’ instructions because I want to recover the right way, even if it’s frustrating.

One of the biggest positives to come from all of this is that I quit smoking.

After smoking for twenty-two years, I finally quit cold turkey. I’d tried before without success, but lying in that hospital bed changed everything. I texted my wife and asked her to throw away every cigarette I had. She did, and I haven’t wanted one since. It’s easily one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

As for watch collecting, I don’t suddenly have the urge to start chasing $10,000 or $20,000 watches. That’s never really been what this hobby has been about for me. What has changed is that I’ve stopped automatically ruling out watches simply because they cost more than the limit I’d set years ago.

I’m still going to appreciate value. I’m still going to buy affordable watches. I still believe you can get an incredible watch for under $100 just as easily as you can find one at several thousand dollars.

Recently, I even traded three watches toward a Tudor Heritage Ranger. That isn’t because I’ve abandoned my old philosophy—it’s because my philosophy has evolved. Instead of limiting myself to a price point, I’m focusing on owning watches that truly fit my collection.

More than anything, though, this experience reminded me that life changes. People change. Priorities change.

Sometimes our opinions change too, and that’s okay.

Waiting to buy this watch made it more meaningful than if I’d bought it the moment, I first wanted one. Taking my time allowed me to be certain that it was the right choice, and because of everything that happened afterward, it became much more than just another watch in my collection.

Before I wrap this up, I want to sincerely thank everyone who reached out over the last several weeks. Every message of encouragement, every conversation, every prayer, and even the occasional kick in the pants when I needed it meant more than you’ll probably ever know.

Thank you.

Hopefully this serves as both an update and a reminder. Listen to your body. If something doesn’t feel right, get it checked out. Don’t ignore the warning signs.

And finally, don’t be afraid to change your mind. Whether it’s about watches or life, sometimes growth means letting go of old rules that no longer make sense.

Starting Monday, June 29, content should be back to its normal schedule. While I’m still healing, I suddenly have something I haven’t had in a long time: time.

Until next time, stay safe, take care of yourselves, and I’ll see you in the next one.